In An Incident Similar To Seema Haidar, Indian Woman Visits Pakistan To Meet Pakistani Friend But With One Difference

A married woman from India has traveled to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan to meet her friend whom she met and fell in love with on Facebook, according to a statement by Police.

The woman, named Anju, is 34 years old and originally from Kailor village in Uttar Pradesh. She had been living in the Alwar district of Rajasthan before making the journey to the Upper Dir district in Pakistan to meet her 29-year-old Pakistani friend, Nasrulla.

Nasrulla, who works in the medical field, and Anju became friends on Facebook a few months ago, as reported by ARY News.

Anju's visit to Pakistan is for a month, and it should be noted that she did not come with the intention of getting married. Initially, she was in the custody of the police, but she was released after her travel documents were verified by the district police.

According to a source from PTI, she was allowed to proceed with her trip once all the necessary travel documents were found to be in order.

Additionally, security measures were put in place to prevent any unfavourable incidents that could tarnish the country's reputation.

Anju and her friend were released from custody after senior police officer Mushtaq Khab and Scouts Major cleared her documents, as confirmed by an officer at Dir police station.

Following media reports, a team from the Rajasthan police visited Anju's residence in Bhiwadi to inquire about her situation.

Anju's husband, Arvind, informed the police that she had left home on Thursday, claiming to be headed to Jaipur. However, the family later discovered that she had actually traveled to Pakistan.

Arvind informed the police that his wife had left home, claiming that she needed to meet a friend. He had recently spoken to her on WhatsApp and discovered that she was in Lahore.

According to Arvind, he and his wife got married in 2007 and have been living together ever since.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Bhiwadi Sujit Shankar stated that Anju's husband reported that she had left home on Thursday. Notably, she possessed a valid passport.

The family has not filed any complaint regarding this matter.

The couple resides in Bhiwadi and both work in private firms. They have a 15-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son.

Arvind, speaking from his home, informed the media that his wife had informed her sister that she was in Lahore. He later had a conversation with her as well.

He expressed his intention to speak with her and persuade her to come back, remaining optimistic about her return.

Her passport was issued in 2020, indicating her desire to seek employment overseas.

Arvind was unaware of her social media interactions with anyone.

Anju's situation bears resemblance to the story of Seema Ghulam Haider, a Pakistani woman who entered India to be with Sachin Meena, a Hindu man she met while playing PUBG in 2019.

Both stories involve individuals crossing borders for personal reasons though with one significant and notable difference.

Seema entered India without a visa through Nepal, accompanied by her four children, all under the age of seven.

In contrast, Anju traveled legally from India to Pakistan through the Wagah-Attari border.

According to Uttar Pradesh Police, Seema, 30, and Sachin, 22, reside in the Rabupura area of Greater Noida, near Delhi. Sachin operates a provision store in the same locality.

On 4 July, local police arrested Seema for illegally entering India, while Meena was apprehended for harbouring undocumented immigrants.

However, a local court granted them bail on 7 July.

The timing of the two incidents is significant as it coincides with the ongoing deadlock between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue and the problem of cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan.

These incidents have only added to the existing tensions and challenges faced by both nations.